ABLEnews Extra

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                         Removing Our Freedom

Individual freedom is one factor that appears to have been omitted from
our raging health care debate. What limits would a given law place on
doctors, patients, and insurers? The National Taxpayers Union Foundation,
based in Washington, rated eight health plans now under consideration in
Congress (identified by the names of their chief sponsors). The first
category tallies the frequency if words in each plan that suggests
government restriction or punishment. (This matters because the words
selected [ban, enforce, fine, limit, obligation, penalty, prison,
prohibit, require, restrict, sanction] are ones that send signals to the
courts.) The second category estimates the plans costs. The third counts
career limits placed on medical professionals, and the fourth registers
price controls. "While the concept of government-provided security is
alluring," the foundation's report advises, "it is also one which history
tells us to regard skeptically."

Bill:                         Gramm/Santorum
Government Control:           86
Change in Federal Spending
(1999, in billions):          -$26
Medical Career Limits:        0
Price Controls:               no

Bill:                         Nickles/Stearns
Government Control:           164
Change in Federal Spending    
(1999, in billions):          -$27
Medical Career Limits:        0
Price Controls:               no

Bill:                         Rowland/Bilirakis
Government Control:           392
Change in Federal Spending
(1999, in billions):          -$2
Medical Career Limits:        0
Price Controls:               no

Bill:                         Michel/Lott
Government Control:           467
Change in Federal Spending
(1999, in billions):          -$3
Medical Career Limits:        0
Price Controls:               no

Bill:                         Chafee/Thomas
Government Control:           748
Change in Federal Spending
(1999, in billions):          +$30-$90
Medical Career Limits:        0
Price Controls:               no

Bill:                         Cooper/Breaux
Government Control:           249
Change in Federal Spending
(1999, in billions):          +$32
Medical Career Limits:        3
Price Controls:               no

Bill:                         Wellstone/McDermott
Government Control:           161
Change in Federal Spending
(1999, in billions):          +$702
Medical Career Limits:        1
Price Controls:               yes

Bill:                         Clinton
Government Control:           1,494
Change in Federal Spending
(1999, in billions):          $608
Medical Career Limits:        6
Price Controls:               yes

[Wall Street Journal, 6/27/94]

ABLEnews Editor's Note: The above is not verbatim in that invividual word
counts have been omitted and category labels have been revised for ease
of transcription and comprehension inb this format.

CURE Comment: It should be noted that the category labeled Medical Career
Limits counts EXPLICIT controls--i.e., "racial/ethnic/geographic" and
"limits on going into particular specialties") specified in the bill's
language. A zero count does NOT mean the bill will not limit or restrict
medical practice as a consequence of its provisions.

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